


Something Else

by sal_si_puedes



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Dry Humping, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Frottage, Kissing, M/M, Post-Prison, Schmoop, Slow Build, Smut, the tiniest bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-08-11 23:44:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7912147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sal_si_puedes/pseuds/sal_si_puedes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Mike gets released from prison, of course he shows up on Harvey's doorstep. This is about what happens next.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Else

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lawsonpines13](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=lawsonpines13).



> My take on the "Mike gets out of prison - and then?" trope, written after S06E07 (Shake The Trees). :D
> 
> Also, my contribution to [Marvey Fic Challenges](http://marveyficchallenges.tumblr.com/) [challenge #56 (Growing Pains)](http://marveyficchallenges.tumblr.com/post/148984055265/challenge-56-growing-pains).
> 
> Thank you, my darling [lawsonpines13](http://lawsonpines13.tumblr.com/), for the wonderful and extremely speedy beta! You are the best muse and also the best friend I could wish for! *smooches*

In the end, it all happens in a blur. Harvey and Cahill manage to turn things around barely in time, but they do manage after all, twisting and pushing things and people to the limit until Mike’s deal is firmly in place again, at least for a moment. It is tough and it is brutal and, most of all, it is very touch and go most of the time and they have just the narrowest window to make it happen, but in the end they succeed. Cahill gets Kevin and his wife immunity and Kevin finally agrees to testify against Sutter, which ultimately is what gets Mike out. Neither Harvey nor Cahill lose their job or, and that is a miracle in itself, face any criminal charges when it is finally over. The last formalities have been taken care of and Mike is probably already on his way home if not already in Rachel’s arms, and Harvey finds himself sitting next to Cahill at a long, mahogany bar somewhere in lower Manhattan, sipping on 18 year old single malt, celebrating their coup.

Pretty quickly Harvey feels as if he might have had one too many, but maybe that’s because he is exhausted after functioning on a maximum of three hours of sleep a night for what feels like forever. Or maybe it is because he really is celebrating, celebrating that they got Mike out, that Mike is safe and at home and not in a small, suffocating concrete cell anymore, and also because he doesn’t want to think about Mike there, at home, in Rachel’s arms, in Rachel’s bed.

So he might have had one too many, or maybe a couple more, and when he walks along the nightly streets on his way to his building next to one Sean Cahill, his cunning partner in this whole thing, he has to concentrate hard not to step on the lines and cracks in the pavement, a thing he can normally do in his sleep and with his hands tied behind his back.

He briefly wonders why Cahill is still there but when they stop in front of the entrance to his building he knows why. He sways a little and almost staggers and Cahill grabs hold of his arm to steady him. That’s why. That’s what he’s here for.

Sean laughs and his hand is still on Harvey’s arm when Harvey looks up. The smile that plays around Sean’s lips is bright and kind and strangely mesmerizing.

“Careful there,” he says and his smile broadens a little. He gives Harvey’s arm a firm squeeze and then he leaves his hand just there.

Harvey blinks. He knows he’s supposed to say something but he isn’t really sure what, so he settles for the next best thing that comes to his mind. 

“Sean.”

“Hmm,” Sean hums and tilts his head a bit, still smiling. “Yeah.” His hand wanders from Harvey’s arm to Harvey’s chest and his fingers grab a light hold of Harvey’s lapel. “Why don’t you invite me up there with you for another drink or two,” Sean asks and Harvey blinks again, not sure why this is happening. “A night cap.”

“I,” Harvey starts to speak but his thoughts are a little foggy so he has to pause for a moment to regroup. “I can’t, Sean,” he finally says, his words less slurred than he thought they would be. “I’m…”

“You’re what?” Sean asks, running his fingers up and down Harvey’s lapel. His scent in Harvey’s nose is mostly pleasant and nicely distinct, maybe a bit overpowering, whiskey and a musky cologne and slightly sweaty skin. “You’re seeing someone?”

“I’m,” Harvey starts again, shaking his head, but then he stops. He straightens his back and shakes his head. “There is someone else,” he says, talking a step backwards.

Sean takes a deep breath and nods. His smile falters a little but it is still there. “Yeah, I thought there might be,” he says. “Could have been fun, though.”

“Hmm,” Harvey makes, a slight frown creasing his forehead. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Let me ask you one thing, though, Harvey.” Sean tilts his head again and shoves his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “Why isn’t he here then?”

For a moment, Harvey considers flat out denying everything or talking his way out of this somehow, deflecting, but the look in Sean’s eyes tells him that he doesn’t have to do that and that if he tried to, nevertheless, it would be a futile attempt at best.

“He doesn’t know,” he says instead and watches the smile return to Sean’s face, albeit with a different note to it.

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Sean says, nodding. “Listen,” he adds after a short pause. “You know where to find me should you ever… You know.”

Harvey nods and Sean’s smile turns into a knowing grin.

“Yeah, as if.” He nods goodbye and turns around.

Harvey watches him walking down the block and turning to the left at the corner. A large delivery truck driving by pulls Harvey from his trance and he makes his way through the lobby and up into his condo as quickly as possible, loosening his tie and undoing the top button of his shirt in the elevator on his way up. He feels stone cold sober all of a sudden and that needs to be remedied. Urgently.

When he draws himself a glass of scotch, it is still mostly dark in the room. Only the lights in the hallway are switched on and, of course, there is the pale glow of the lights of the late night city pouring in through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. He takes off his jacket and flings it over the backrest of one of the arm chairs and then he drops onto the sofa, the glass still firmly clutched in his hand. His stomach churns and all of a sudden he’s so tired he feels sick. His hand is shaking as he brings the glass to his lips and takes a sip, closing his eyes. The liquid burns in his throat and the burn makes his eyes water. He rests the glass on his thigh and closes his eyes. It is late already. He really should go to bed.

Harvey doesn’t know how long he sits there, but he thinks it must have been quite a while, when a sharp knock on his front door shakes him back to full consciousness. He almost trips over his own feet when he gets up and, after turning on the lights in the living room, he has to blink rapidly several times on his way down the hallway to make the fog clouding his sight disappear.

When he opens the door Mike has just raised his hand to knock again and his mouth is open as if he was going to yell.

“Mike,” Harvey says and blinks again. “What—“

“Where were you?” Mike asks and his eyes narrow. 

Harvey doesn’t understand. “What? What are you doing here? Why aren’t you—“

“You weren’t there,” Mike states and Harvey only very slowly manages to catch up with what Mike is saying. “Where were you? Why weren’t you there when I—“

“I thought—“

“Rachel never showed up,” Mike cuts in and wipes his palm over his mouth. “Can I come in? I need a drink.”

Harvey opens the door and watches Mike stepping into his condo and walking down the hallway towards the living area. 

“Nobody was there,” Mike repeats and Harvey quickly closes the door and follows him. “And my credit card apparently has been cancelled. There were only a couple of bucks in my wallet. I had to take a bus.”

“But why—“

And once again Harvey can’t finish his question because Mike turns around and stops him dead in his tracks.

“Because I told her not to come. Because I thought you’d be there.” He shrugs defeatedly and suddenly Harvey becomes aware of the dark circles under Mike’s eyes and of the fact that he’s wearing the same suit he had been wearing when Harvey took him to Danbury six months ago.

Harvey walks over to the liquor cart and fixes Mike a drink. He silently hands it to him and waits till Mike has taken the first sip. Watching Mike squeeze his eyes shut for a brief moment, Harvey tilts his head.

“Why aren’t you—“

“Couldn’t stay,” Mike interrupts him another time and Harvey lets him. “I went straight home after I… It’s not right. It doesn’t feel right.” He takes another sip, a longer one this time, and simply closes his eyes for a moment as he swallows. “Rachel and I,” he chuckles mirthlessly, “we were over the day I left her at the altar. It was about time that we—and when we went to bed tonight, together… The room’s too big. Shit. I know that sounds crazy but… And I can’t have someone lie that close to me and the room is too big, the walls, I mean, there is too much space.”

Mike is babbling and taking little sips between words and Harvey just wishes he could make him stop. But he knows he can’t so he just watches and listens.

“There was far too much space. I didn’t feel safe. So I came here. I need—Can I sleep in the spare room for a couple of nights?” Mike asks and for the first time since he started speaking, his and Harvey’s eyes meet. “Just until…”

Mike falls silent and Harvey nods. “Of course.” 

The moment the words are out of his mouth, Mike virtually deflates in front of Harvey’s eyes. His shoulders sag and Harvey only just in time manages to close the distance and snatch the glass from Mike’s hand before Mike drops it, the high-strung tension that has been buzzing through him the entire time seeping from his body in long, vibrating waves. 

Harvey leads him to the spare room and fixes the bed for him while Mike retreats to the adjacent bathroom to take a shower. He fetches a t-shirt and a pair of track pants from his own closet and places them on the foot of the bed, listening to the sound of falling water for a while before he makes for the kitchen again to get a glass of water for Mike.

When he comes back to the guest room, Mike is out of the shower and is just picking up the clothes Harvey has laid out for him, a towel slung low around his hips and water dripping from his hair onto his shoulders. “I’m going to shave tomorrow,” he murmurs, casting his eyes to the floor.

“I’ll leave a spare razor on the kitchen count—“

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Mike interrupts and Harvey inhales sharply. 

“Mike, you don’t—“

“Before everything went to shit,” Mike says and raises his gaze to lock eyes with Harvey again, “the deal, I mean, before that blew up, I said something to Kevin, something that I thought would make him cave but it didn’t and I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I said.”

“Mike…”

“Let me finish,” Mike pleads and Harvey has the weirdest sense of déjà-vu. “Please.”

Harvey nods and Mike takes a deep, shuddering breath.

“I told him I regretted making that deal, the one with Gibbs. That I regretted going to jail to keep someone else out.”

Harvey takes a breath and opens his mouth to speak, even though he has no idea what he possibly could say. That it doesn’t matter? That all that matters is that Mike is out now? Safe? Here?

“I just wanted to let you know that I lied,” Mike says when Harvey doesn’t speak after all. “That what I said was a lie. I didn’t regret it, I never did and I don’t. I’d do it again, if I had to.”

They look each other into the eyes for a moment of utter silence. Harvey can hear his heart beating and the blood rushing through his veins. There is a very faint, high pitched beeping noise somewhere in the distance, that strange ethereal sound that comes with that kind of silence.

Then he nods. “Good night, Mike,” he says and turns to leave the room. Before he closes the door behind himself, he turns back to Mike again. “Let me know if you need anything,” he says and Mike nods tiredly.

“Thanks, Harvey.”

Back in the living area, Harvey empties the remains from both their glasses into the sink and leaves them standing there. He retrieves a spare razor from his bathroom cabinet and places it onto the kitchen counter next to some shaving soap and a washcloth. After that he turns off the lights and leaves the sliding doors to his bedroom slightly open before he takes a quick shower and slips under the covers.

The thoughts keep running in circles in his mind as he listens into the darkness but he must have fallen asleep at some point of time because when he opens his eyes again the next time, there is a warm, solid figure lying next to him on the other side of the bed, curled up in a fetal position on top of the blanket.

Mike is facing him and he appears to be fast asleep, breathing deeply and regularly. His features have softened since that last look Harvey cast at him in the guest room and even though he stirs and twitches every now and then, he seems much more relaxed than only a couple of hours ago. 

Harvey rolls onto his back, slowly and carefully, and he closes his eyes, listening to Mike’s even breathing. Once more he doesn’t realize that he’s falling asleep but when his alarm goes off in the morning, the other side of the bed is empty and he is alone.

*****

It happens again the next night. Harvey wakes up to a sleeping Mike lying right next to him, again curled up on his side, facing Harvey. Mike’s mouth is slightly open and his breath smells of toothpaste and sleep. Harvey quietly shifts until he’s lying on his side as well and he lets his eyes wander over Mike’s body. There is a faint sheen of goose bumps covering Mike’s skin and Harvey wishes he could get up and get a blanket for Mike but he knows that would wake Mike up and he doesn’t want that.

So the next night, before he goes to bed, he sets the air conditioning to a slightly higher temperature, just in case.

Mike spends most of the first few days after his release in his room, but he joins Harvey for meals whenever Harvey is at home and lets him know that there is food. Thai take-out or a pasta dish Harvey prepares after work or breakfast in the mornings. Harvey has given the key to his place back to Mike the first morning and Mike could leave the condo whenever he feels like it but even though Harvey is at the firm during the days and his hours there are long, he knows that Mike doesn’t do that. So one evening, Harvey comes home carrying three bags of newly bought clothing, jeans and sweaters and t-shirts and a suit with a couple of dress shirts, just in case, and socks and shoes and underwear, all in Mike’s size.

They don’t talk much during those first few days, and when they do it’s about nothing of importance. 

Harvey tells Mike what he has read in the newspaper on his way to the office even though Mike has the same newspaper at his disposal here at the condo and probably knows it by heart cover to cover by the time Harvey comes home in the evening. Harvey never talks about work and Mike never asks.

Mike, on the other hand, tells Harvey little stories from inside, but just random stuff, nothing that comes with any real weight. 

They discuss sports results and movies and on the fourth night, Harvey asks Mike if he would like to help him make dinner and when Mike joins him behind the kitchen isle, he starts telling Harvey about his work at Danbury. His sentences are short and brisk at first but once he’s cutting the vegetables, he starts to elaborate and explains to Harvey the slings and arrows of working in a professional canteen kitchen with ingredients that are far below par.

That night, they watch some tv together after dinner, something they haven’t done before, and Mike has two beers while they sit there on the sofa, sipping them slowly and deliberately, rolling the bottle between his palms for a long time even after he has finished it.

“Thank you for letting me stay,” he says before he rises to head for bed. “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” Harvey says and looks up to Mike with a faint smile on his lips. “You can stay as long as you want to.”

“Good night,” Mike replies and disposes of the bottle in the kitchen before he disappears through the door leading to the back hallway and the guest room. 

“Good night,” Harvey murmurs to the empty living room. He stares at the tv screen for half an hour longer or so before he turns off the tv and gets ready for bed. 

When he wakes up again during the night, and it seems to him as if there is some kind of inner alarm that has been set to a certain time since that first night Mike has slept here, he finds Mike in his usual place and position, curled up next to him.

Only this time, Mike’s eyes are open.

A surge of adrenalin shoots through Harvey’s body like a bolt of lightning and he blinks and in that blink of his eyes, Mike has somehow risen to a half kneeling, half sitting position and is trying to scramble off of the bed. 

“Shit,” he hisses and almost falls off the bed. “I’m so sorry, Harvey, I… Shit, I’m sorry.”

“Mike,” Harvey says and clears his throat. His voice is still hoarse with sleep and he needs it to be calm and steady. “It’s okay.”

“No,” Mike hurries to say and pauses a little, sitting on the edge of the bed, his back turned to Harvey. “No, it is not. It’s really not.”

“Why didn’t you bring a blanket,” Harvey asks and props himself up on his elbow. “You must be cold.”

Mike turns his upper body around and looks down at Harvey. “What?”

“You must be freezing,” Harvey elaborates and nods towards the mattress. “It’s okay,” he repeats and settles back down again. “You can sleep here. But get under the covers, for fuck’s sake. I didn’t get you out of prison only for you to die of pneumonia.”

Mike stays motionless for the longest time and finally Harvey closes his eyes and exhales slowly, willing Mike to make that decision and lie down again. The silence in the bedroom is deafening and when Mike finally, finally moves and slowly stands up to lift the covers, it’s like the noise of a raging thunderstorm in Harvey’s ears. 

Mike hesitates again, holding the covers up, but after a while he sits down on the bed again and slowly lifts his legs up. It takes him ages to slip under the covers and to settle down but when he’s finally lying there, Harvey opens his eyes again, staring at the ceiling.

He doesn’t dare look at Mike so he just lies there on his back, eyes open and a pounding heartbeat in his ears. From the corner of his eye he can see how Mike pulls the covers up as far as he can until only his face is visible, a pale glow in the dark of the bedroom. For a moment, Mike closes his eyes but then they flutter open again and he sighs. 

“Get some sleep”, Harvey murmurs gently and closes his eyes. “You must be tired.”

He turns his head towards the windows, facing away from Mike, trying to give him some space. He tries to move as little as possible and he listens into the darkness for a long time but he never hears Mike’s breathing change. After a while he slowly drifts off into sleep.

The next morning, he is alone.

*****

“I’ve got to see my parole officer today,” Mike says at breakfast and Harvey immediately understands why Mike has barely touched his bowl of cereals so far.

He has watched him stir around in it with his spoon for the better part of fifteen minutes and now he knows why.

“Hmm,” he hums, taking the last sip from his nearly empty coffee mug. “When?”

“Ten thirty,” Mike answers and lays down his spoon. He drops his hands in his lap and bites his lips. “You don’t ha—“

“I have court in the morning,” Harvey cuts in, carefully studying Mike’s face. “Otherwise I would have offered to come with. But you can have the car and Ray can take you there and back, I’ll take a cab or maybe I’ll even walk for a change.”

“Harvey, you don’t have to,” Mike says, eyes glistening as he looks up again.

“Yeah, I know,” Harvey says and grabs his keys and his laptop. “See you tonight? Pizza?”

Mike just nods and picks up his spoon again, just holding on to it until Harvey turns and walks towards the door.

When Harvey comes home that night, carrying two large carton boxes of pizza, the condo seems to be empty at first.

“Mike?”

For some moments there’s nothing but then the door to the back hallway opens and Mike appears, his t-shirt ruffled and his hair all tousled with sleep. He yawns and wipes his eyes.

Harvey sets the boxes down on the kitchen counter and frowns.

“Did I wake you? I’m sorry, I—“

“Nah,” Mike murmurs and yawns again. “Was already up.”

“How did it go?” 

Mike stops at the other end of the kitchen isle and pulls his lower lip between his teeth. He chews on it for some moments before he looks up.

“Don’t ask,” he says and Harvey tenses. “I have to find a job.”

Harvey doesn’t know what to say so he just shoves the boxes a little towards Mike and tilts his head. “Dinner?”

“Yeah,” Mike nods. “I’m actually starving. Haven’t had anything since breakfast, after that meeting I couldn’t… Oh man, how do they say? I could really use a hug.” He chuckles drily and wraps his arms around his upper body, shaking his head.

“Do you want one?” Harvey tries to make his voice sound as matter of fact as he can. 

Mike freezes and his head jerks up. His eyes are wide with surprise when they meet Harvey’s and there is something in them that makes Harvey’s stomach drop and his chest constrict.

Mike drops his gaze again and Harvey stays put and waits.

“Are you serious?” Mike asks after a couple of seconds, locking eyes with him again for a brief moment, and Harvey can see how his hold on himself tightens. “Are you—“

“Yeah,” Harvey says firmly and swallows thickly. “I am.”

Mike looks away again but otherwise stays frozen in place for another couple of seconds before he slowly nods. “Okay,” he finally whispers and his fingers dig into his upper arms.

Harvey hesitates for a moment, waiting for Mike to make the first move, but all Mike does is look up once more and bite his lips.

It takes Harvey another second or two to finally move but then he walks towards Mike with slow, measured steps, unclenching his fists and forcing a small smile on his lips.

That smile falls away again when he’s only one step away from Mike and stops. Mike is still biting his lips and clutching his own arms and he is so tense that it is visible.

Harvey quietly clears his throat and Mike looks up. “Come here,” Harvey says, nodding, and opens his arms a little.

For a moment, neither of them moves but then Mike draws in a deep breath and takes a step forward, still holding on to himself.

Harvey can feel Mike’s body heat and he can hear Mike’s uneven breathing when he closes his arms around him.

Mike is standing too close to the kitchen island and at first the hug is as awkward as a hug can possibly be, Harvey’s arms around Mike and Mike’s arms still crossed in front of his chest, an impenetrable barrier between them, they are still standing a little too far apart and Mike is so incredibly tense that he is almost shaking with it.

But then Harvey shifts a bit and adjusts his position and Mike exhales, a long and shaky breath, and Harvey can feel how some of the tension finally ebbs. He just keeps holding Mike like this at first, he doesn’t move and he doesn’t speak. All he does is breathe and feel how Mike slowly, slowly relaxes in his embrace.

Mike gradually unclenches the grip on his arms and after a couple of minutes he lowers his arms to his side and shuffles a little closer towards Harvey. When he rests his forehead against Harvey’s shoulder there is something like a stab piercing Harvey’s chest and he actually has to bite his lips to stifle whatever sound may have wanted to force its way out.

Mike sniffles and after another few minutes Harvey can feel how he carefully lifts his arms and wraps them around Harvey’s waist, resting them on the small of Harvey’s back. Harvey tightens his hold on Mike the tiniest bit and Mike nods against his shoulder.

“You’re gonna find a job,” Harvey murmurs into Mike’s hair. He draws in a deep breath and moves his hand on Mike’s back a bit, nothing more than a hint of a rub. When Mike doesn’t tense or pull away he continues that movement and after some moments Mike hums a little, a sound that sends subtle vibrations through Harvey’s whole body. His lips curl into a smile and he inhales again, savoring the sensation of Mike’s arms tightening around him, pulling him closer.

After a while, Harvey doesn’t know how many minutes have passed, Mike straightens his back and lets go. He takes a small step backwards and wipes his face with his hands. He doesn’t look up for the longest time. 

“Pizza?” Harvey takes a step backwards and fishes for the carton boxes. They’re still lukewarm but he could re-heat them in the oven if necessary.

“Yeah,” Mike croaks and clears his throat, “I’m starving.”

Harvey nods again and carries the boxes over to the dining table. He places one on his and the other one on what he has come to think of as Mike’s place and pulls Mike’s chair out. “You have cheese in the crust,” he says, smiling.

He walks around the kitchen island and takes an extra long time rummaging through the cupboards and opening a bottle of wine. Mike needs some time to regroup and so does he.

When he turns around again, Mike has sat down and opened the lid of his box. “Smells amazing,” he says and smiles up at Harvey when Harvey sets down Mike’s glass in front of him. It’s a still a weak smile but it is a smile.

They eat without talking for a while until Mike breaks the silence.

“I could,” he mumbles around a bite of pizza, “try and get a job as a pizza guy. Or I could work in a kitchen.”

“Hmmhmm,” Harvey nods, taking another sip from his wine. “Bike thing.”

“Yeah,” Mike grins but when their eyes lock, the grin fades. “I don’t know how long it’s been since someone held me like that,” he murmurs and casts his gaze down. “Or touched me without—I mean, not to hurt me and I… After I got out and went ho—to Rachel, I couldn’t. I just couldn’t and, yeah… So it’s been a while and… And it felt really good. I didn’t expect it to feel so good.”

“Mike,” Harvey says but then he falls silent. What is there to say, really?

“Why,” Mike adds and at first Harvey doesn’t realize that that was intended to be a question. Not until Mike repeats it. “Why do you do all that? Why do you let me sleep in your bed?”

Harvey picks up his napkin and wipes his mouth and fingers. Then he raises his glass to his lips again and takes a long swallow. 

“You know why.”

Mike holds Harvey’s gaze for a while but then he suddenly rises and pushes his chair back. “I’m going to bed.”

“Good night,” Harvey murmurs as he watches Mike make for the guest room.

This night, when Mike climbs into Harvey’s bed, he scoots a little closer to Harvey than usual. And when Harvey opens his eyes, Mike doesn’t close his immediately.

*****

There is more touching after this. Casual touches like arms brushing against each other or fingers when glasses change hands, but also deliberate ones. Good night and good morning hugs, brief but there.

Once, when they’re in the kitchen, preparing dinner, Harvey comes to stand next to Mike at the cutting board and while Mike chops some mushrooms, Harvey reaches around him and places his hand onto Mike’s shoulder. When Mike doesn’t flinch away, Harvey steps behind him and runs his hands down Mike’s arms, slowly and deliberately. He then wraps them around Mike’s torso and buries his nose in Mike’s hair for a while.

“You smell good,” he murmurs and noses at Mike’s temple. 

Mike turns his head a little, rubbing his cheek against Harvey’s lips, and Harvey can feel Mike smile.

Another night, when they’re sitting on the sofa, watching tv, a bowl of chips and two bottles of beer in front of them on the coffee table, Mike scoots closer to Harvey until they’re side by side. He surreptitiously, almost accidentally nudges Harvey’s arm with his shoulder and Harvey lifts it and draws Mike close. 

It happens at night as well, though Mike still goes to his own bed every night and every morning Harvey wakes up alone in his.

One night, Harvey wakes to find Mike cozied up snuggly against his side, sound asleep and his hair a little sweaty at the nape of his neck. He carefully disentangles his arm from between their bodies and scoops Mike up in a gentle hold. He can actually feel his face bursting into a smile when Mike snuggles even closer and smacks his lips, humming contently in his sleep. Mike is warm and solid against Harvey’s side, his chest expanding and deflating with every calm breath he takes, and after a moment’s hesitation Harvey gives in to the urge to let his fingers run over Mike’s t-shirt-clad shoulder in soft, playful circles. When Mike’s hand comes to rest on Harvey’s stomach and Mike’s fingertips touch that narrow patch of exposed skin between Harvey’s track pants and his shirt, a pulsing warmth spreads from that point of contact through Harvey’s entire being, making his toes and his fingertips tingle. He can feel his cock twitch in his pants and he wills it to stay down, to go down, surreptitiously trying every breathing technique his boxing coach has ever taught him to avoid getting hard. He falls asleep trying.

*****

They fall into a daily routine easily and Harvey enjoys having Mike around more than he ever would have thought possible. He is looking forward to coming home at night and finding Mike there, on the sofa, on the deck or in his room, and he begins to think about what they might have for dinner, what Mike might like and what little treats and delicacies he can bring home to him on his way from the office, he begins to think about that no later than early afternoon every day he goes to work.

Mike has been looking into job offers and he has made a few calls so that he will have something to show for himself during the next meeting with his parole officer, but he spends most of the time reading or watching tv.

Harvey likes the way the dark circles under Mike’s eyes slowly fade and his posture becomes less tense and rigid with every passing day.

So when he comes home one evening at the end of the second week since Mike got out and finds the place dark and empty, he stops dead in his tracks and frowns as he sets the paper bag with the petit fours he has brought home for dessert that night carefully down onto the kitchen counter. 

He goes searching for Mike in his room, his bathroom, the bedroom and the master bathroom, but he is nowhere to be found. When Harvey calls his mobile, Mike doesn’t answer. One phone call to his doorman tells him that Mike isn’t in the pool or in the gym either but has left the building a couple of hours ago. Harvey settles down onto the sofa with a glass of scotch and switches on the tv, superficially leafing through today’s mail. He switches through the channels and finds a game on on one of the stations but after a couple of minutes he gets up again and checks the fridge for the ingredients for tonight’s dinner.

Just when he closes the fridge’s door again, there is a knock on the front door and a short moment later the door opens and Mike calls his name.

“Harvey?”

“Yeah,” Harvey calls from the kitchen, opening the fridge again. “I’m here. You want a beer? Or some scotch before dinner?”

“Yeah, a beer would be great, thanks.”

Mike walks around the corner and steps right into Harvey’s arms for a short but firm hug. 

“I had a job interview,” he says as they break apart, smiling. “At Antonio’s. They need a kitchen help. Boss said my chances aren’t looking too bad.”

“Good,” Harvey says, opens a bottle of beer and hands it to Mike. “That sounds good.”

“Yeah,” Mike nods and takes a deep swig from the bottle. “And I looked at an apartment.”

Suddenly Harvey feels as if he can’t breathe and something seems to be stabbing into his chest, once, sharp and clear. 

“I need a place to stay,” Mike adds and takes another swig. 

“You,” Harvey starts but then he has to clear his throat before he can speak again. “Let me know if you need someone to vouch for you,” he says, nodding curtly. “Or money.”

“Thanks,” Mike says and there is a look in his eyes that Harvey can’t quite place. “I will.”

They make pasta with scampi and Mike praises the food but to Harvey it tastes just bland and stale. And when Mike licks his fingers after having eaten three petit fours for dessert and then wipes them against his upper thighs, Harvey thinks that maybe it’s not a bad thing to have his place to himself again sometime soon.

That night, Harvey wakes up because Mike is stirring beside him in his sleep. It seems as if he’s fighting something (or someone) and he keeps tossing and turning his head from one side to the other and his cheeks are wet with tears that keep spilling from tightly squeezed shut eyes.

Harvey reaches for Mike’s shoulder and shakes him but all that Mike does is pull his lips between his teeth and bite them so hard they turn white in the pale light of the city night. 

“No,” he moans and turns his head away from Harvey quickly. “No!” 

Harvey shakes him harder.

“Mike, wake up. Wake up!”

“No,” Mike yells and tries to shake off Harvey’s hand but Harvey holds on tight. 

“Mike, wake up! You’re dreaming. Wake up!”

And finally Mike shoots into a sitting position, panting heavily and frantically looking around, drinking in his surroundings. 

“What—“

“Mike, it’s me. You were dreaming.”

“Oh my god,” Mike whispers and a violent shiver runs through his body. “Oh my god…”

The shivers continue and the time between them grows less and less until Mike is nearly constantly shaking. He has drawn up his knees and has his arms slung around them, rocking back and forth, murmuring voiceless words under his breath.

“Mike,” Harvey says as calmly as possible and reaches out for Mike, but Mike jerks away and Harvey immediately withdraws his hand again and sits up as well.

“Mike, please,” he says after a short while and extends his hand again, slowly and tentatively. 

Mike stops his movements, turns his head as if in slow motion and stares at Harvey with wide, unfocused eyes.

“Mike,” Harvey says again and tilts his head. “Mike.”

“Harvey?” Mike’s voice is nothing more than a choked whisper. “Oh my god…”

“It’s okay, Mike.” Harvey’s hand makes just the lightest contact with Mike’s shoulder and both Mike and Harvey hold their breaths. “You had a nightmare.”

“Oh god,” Mike moans quietly and blinks. “Oh my god…”

“Shhhhhhh,” Harvey makes and runs his hand lightly down Mike’s back and up again. “It’s okay, you’re okay…”

“Harvey.”

“Yeah,” Harvey soothes and keeps stroking Mike’s back gently. “It was just a dream.”

“God, what a nightmare,” Mike murmurs, still shaking, but Harvey can feel him relax the tiniest bit. “Oh god…” Mike is still panting and his hands are fisted into the fabric of the bed linens tightly as he starts those rocking motions again. “Oh shit. _Shit!_ ” He’s out of the bed in the blink of an eye and running into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

Harvey can hear retching noises through the door and they go on for a far too long time, ebbing only very slowly. Finally, there is the sound of the toilet flushing and then a water faucet being turned on.

When Mike emerges from the bathroom a couple of minutes later, he’s pale and sweaty and his hair is wet and messy. He stops halfway to the bed and swallows.

“Come here,” Harvey says and holds up the covers for Mike to slip under. 

“I don’t know,” Mike croaks but takes a tentative step towards the bed. “What if I throw up again?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Harvey says gently. “Come here and get warm.”

It takes Mike what feels like an eternity to walk over to the bed and get under the covers. When Harvey carefully closes his arms around him, he’s still incredibly tense and shaking and his t-shirt feels clammy against Harvey’s skin. “We need to get you warm,” he murmurs as he spoons up beside Mike, trying to keep his hold on him as light as possible and at the same time striving to hold him as close as he can.

Mike’s heart is beating wildly in his chest and it takes a long time for his breathing to even out and for him and Harvey to fall asleep again.

*****

Mike is already sitting at the kitchen counter when Harvey emerges from the bathroom the next morning, clad in his bathrobe and his hair still wet from the shower.

“Hey,” he says, smiling, and when Mike looks up, the circles under his eyes are darker than they have ever been. “Good morning.”

“Hey.”

Harvey walks up to Mike and hugs him from behind, looking over his shoulder at the iPad in his hands.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for apartments,” Mike says and his body stiffens a bit. “I really need to find a place to stay.”

“Mike,” Harvey says, nuzzling the hair at Mike’s temple. “You _have_ a place to stay.”

“God,” Mike sighs and tilts his head, leaning into the caress, “I’m so sorry for last night. You must be so sick of me…”

“Never, rookie,” Harvey mouths against Mike’s skin and he tightens his hold around Mike’s body a little. When Mike closes his eyes for a moment, Harvey pecks his cheekbone lightly and lets go of him.

“I have to get ready and get to the firm,” he says, running his fingers through his hair. “Client meeting at eight. Will you be here for dinner tonight?”

“Hmmhmm,” Mike hums and reaches for the large coffee mug at his elbows. “Yeah, I’ll be here.”

“Good.” Harvey smiles and ruffles Mike’s hair playfully. “Anything in particular you’d like?”

Mike swings around on his chair and looks Harvey in the eyes. “I don’t know why you put up with me,” he says, a lopsided grin on his lips.

Holding Mike’s gaze, Harvey cups Mike’s jaw with his right hand, smiling back.

“You know why,” he says before he leaves to get dressed.

Mike isn’t sitting at the kitchen counter anymore when he comes back in one of his three piece suits, so he writes a little note to let Mike know when approximately he’ll be home tonight.

A little over twelve hours later when he returns home after a long day at the office he finds Mike napping on the sofa. 

Trying to be as quiet as possible he starts rummaging around in the kitchen, getting the dinner preparations started. Mike looks good there on the sofa, calm and relaxed and breathing evenly. Harvey watches Mike’s chest rise and fall peacefully for a couple of moments and then Mike stirs.

He sits up and rubs his eyes sleepily, turning to face Harvey.

“Hey,” he says and his greeting turns into a long, deep yawn.

“Hey yourself,” Harvey grins and tosses the dish towel he’s been holding in his hands over his shoulder. “I thought we might have chicken parm for dinner today,” he says, turning around to take something from the fridge. “Used to be my favorite when I was a kid. You like that?”

“God, I love you,” Mike says and Harvey’s heart misses a beat. When he turns around again a second later, Mike is smiling at him drowsily. “I haven’t had chicken parm in ages. You’re the best!”

Mike’s tired smile makes Harvey’s eyes prickle and he turns around to take the chef’s knife from the drawer and line up some ingredients on the working surface. When he looks back up, Mike is on the other side of the kitchen isle.

“Can I help?” 

“Nah,” Harvey shakes his head. “I’m good. You go put on some music and get us a beer, okay?”

Mike shuffles off to pick and put on a record and when soft jazzy music begins to fill the room, he makes for the fridge and gets them both a bottle of beer. He hands one to Harvey and they clink their bottles against each other.

“Cheers.”

“Cheers.”

Mike watches Harvey cooking and Harvey tells him about his latest case at the firm. They can do that now, talk about the life Harvey still has and Mike doesn’t share anymore, unlike during the first days after Mike’s release. Mike doesn’t flinch anymore every time Harvey mentions Louis or Jessica or Donna and he is keen to learn about everything that happened at Pearson Specter Litt since he quit and went to jail. So Harvey talks and cooks and Mike sits there and watches him, taking a sip from his bottle every now and then and laughing at some story Harvey is telling him about Gretchen and a prunie. When Harvey is almost done, he asks Mike to set the table and open a bottle of wine and then they sit down together to eat.

During dinner Mike tells Harvey about the movies he has seen at movie night in prison and about how he and Kevin sorted things out the evening before Mike was released. Kevin will be out soon as well, Harvey knows that, of course, but he lets Mike tell the whole story anyway, listening intently.

“I don’t know man,” Mike says when he’s finished, folding his napkin and leaning back in his chair. “If there’s one good thing that has come out of this whole prison thing it is that I met Kevin. I don’t know if we’ll keep in touch, I somehow don’t really think we will, but he turned out to be all right in the end. I wouldn’t have made it in there if it hadn’t been for him.”

He falls silent and bites his lips. “I don’t know what I’d have done without him. If I’d even be here.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Harvey finishes his own plate as well and wipes his mouth. He takes a sip from his glass and pours them both a refill. “About your nightmare last night?”

Mike shakes his head. “No,” he says, staring at his empty plate. “I didn’t think it would be… I didn’t expect it to be that hard. In there, I mean. I thought it would be like in the movies. It wasn’t. It was like prison.”

“Mike,” Harvey says and tries to catch Mike’s eyes. “I am so sorry.”

“I know.” Mike nods and reaches across the table to cover Harvey’s hand with his own for a brief moment. “I know. I’ll be seeing someone about that. About what happened in prison. About what happened to me, with me. I made an appointment tonight, Julius Rowe referred me.”

“Good,” Harvey says. “Let me know if I can help.”

“You are helping, Harvey,” Mike replies and rises to clear the plates off of the table. “Everything you do is helping. I am lucky to have you.”

After they’ve cleaned the kitchen together they sit down on the sofa and watch some tv. It doesn’t take Mike ten minutes to worm his way into Harvey’s arm and once he’s settled he rests his head on Harvey’s shoulder sighs contently.

Harvey buries his nose in Mike’s hair and inhales. “Hmmmm,” he makes and pulls Mike a little closer.

Mike raises his head and looks up, looks Harvey straight in the eyes, and Harvey barely registers that he raises his hand and cups Mike’s jaw. His thumb brushes over Mike’s cheek, running along the lines of Mike’s faint smile, and a mirroring smile appears on Harvey’s face.

“Hey,” he murmurs and Mike’s smile deepens.

“Hey.”

Harvey leans in and brushes his lips over Mike’s gently, savoring their texture against his own. When he withdraws, Mike’s eyes are closed.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” he murmurs and runs his thumb over Mike’s lips while they curl into a dreamy smile against Harvey’s touch. “Mike.”

Mike nods and adjusts his position a little. “Yeah,” he breathes and Harvey leans in again. 

Mike’s lips against his are warm and pliant and for a moment Harvey just relishes the sensation, keeping almost completely still for a while. Then he opens his lips a little and lets his tongue dart out, slowly and lightly running its tip along the line between Mike’s lips.

The moment Mike’s mouth opens his hand finds its way to Harvey’s upper thigh and comes to rest there just like that, a grounding weight and a calming warmth.

Mike kisses him back gently and when his tongue touches Harvey’s for the first time, a bolt of electricity surges through Harvey and draws a sound from his lungs that is somewhere between a huff and a moan. 

Harvey deepens the kiss, his hand wandering from Mike’s jaw to the back of his head. He lets his tongue explore Mike’s mouth, taste him and caress him, and he allows Mike to do the same. Mike scoots closer and his hand moves from Harvey’s thigh to his hip, trying to pull him closer.

When they break apart they are both out of breath and Mike’s lips are glistening in a deep shade of pink. His eyes glitter and when they meet Harvey’s, a smile spreads across Mike’s face that lights up the whole room.

“Wow,” Mike whispers and brings his hand up to cup Harvey’s face. He shakes his head in wonder and his smile fades a little when his gaze drops to Harvey’s lips again. “Do that again.”

They kiss like that for a while, sometimes unhurried and languid, melting against each other, sometimes more urgent and demanding, hungry for each other and each other’s taste and touch. After a while, Mike is almost lying half on top of Harvey and their shirts are as ruffled as their hair. 

Mike breaks the kiss and grins. “God, you look as if you’ve been making out on the couch,” he says, claiming Harvey’s mouth for a short but deep kiss. “What have you been doing?”

“Making out on the couch,” Harvey retorts drily, “because apparently I’m living with a teenager.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Mike teases, pecking Harvey’s lips affectionately. “You love it.”

“Yeah,” Harvey moans and shifts a little. He is incredibly hard and from the way Mike presses against his body he knows Mike is, too. “I do.”

Mike hisses and closes his eyes for a moment before he sits up. Smoothing his palms down his chest he takes a deep breath. “I had forgotten how this feels,” he says and runs his fingers through his hair. “Shit, I think I need to take a shower. A long one.”

Harvey sits up as well and straightens his hair as good as he can. He can feel that his cheeks are as flushed as Mike’s and when he licks his lips Mike’s taste still lingers on his tongue. He smiles. “Yeah, me too.”

That night, Harvey wakes up to the sensation of Mike’s erection pressing against his thigh and Mike’s face is buried against his shoulder. Mike’s hips roll and flex very slowly, almost surreptitiously and Mike’s hand is fisted into the fabric of Harvey’s t-shirt right above his heart. He’s making short, huffy breaths and each one of them, each one of those almost not there sounds goes straight to Harvey’s cock. He is hard in no time and strangely out of breath as well.

“Mike,” he whispers but all the reaction he gets is a slightly louder huff and Mike shaking his head, but the movement of Mike’s hips doesn’t cease and Harvey swells even more. “God, Mike…”

He reaches around Mike’s torso and tries to pull him on top of him, shifting underneath the weight of Mike’s body until their clothed dicks align. Mike is throbbing and so is Harvey. Harvey’s left hand finds its way into Mike’s hair and Mike rewards that with a suppressed moan against Harvey’s sensitive skin. With his other hand Harvey cups Mike’s ass and when Mike’s hips flex in response it is Harvey’s turn to moan.

“Fuck,” he mouths against Mike’s ear and Mike’s grip on his t-shirt tightens. “Fuck, Mike—“  
Mike’s hips roll against his and every movement exposes their cocks to this tantalizing friction, this maddening semi-contact through two layers of clothing. Harvey shifts again and opens his legs a little so one of Mike’s can slip between, giving both of them more room to move and better leverage.

Mike moans when Harvey’s hips pick up the rhythm and that sound vibrates though Harvey’s body so deliciously that Harvey’s grip on Mike’s hair tightens almost automatically. His dick twitches against Mike’s and his breathing hitches when Mike’s mouth opens and his tongue licks at his throat.

A violent shiver runs through Mike’s body when Harvey’s fingers dig into his ass cheek and Harvey arches his back, trying to bring their aching dicks even closer together. He can feel Mike throb and pulse against him and from the way Mike’s body moves and the panting against his now sweaty skin he can tell that this isn’t going to take long. 

The realization that Mike is going to come soon and the sensation of Mike’s breath against his neck, Mike’s moans on his skin and Mike’s fist clenched into his shirt almost pushes Harvey over the edge right there and then. 

“Mike,” he pants into Mike’s ear and the responding tremble that runs through Mike’s body brings him even closer to the brim. “Fuck—“

Mike’s mouth is latched onto his neck and Mike’s hips jerk almost erratically now. “Close,” Mike moans, and “God” and “Yeah” and “Harvey…” and Harvey pulls Mike closer, even closer until he can feel his own climax building and he can’t believe he’s going to come like this, in his pants, with Mike still moving on top of him, rutting against him, so close and so overwhelmed with the need to fall that Harvey has to squeeze his eyes shut until he sees stars and bright flashes of blinding light.

“Mike, yeah,” he moans and he can feel Mike shaking his head, rocking against him as much as he can in the confinement of Harvey’s firm hold. “Come on, _come on…_ ”

Harvey can pinpoint the exact moment when Mike lets go. Mike’s fist unclenches and his body goes completely rigid for a moment before a sound between a sob and a moan escapes his lips. Then he starts moving again and Harvey can feel how Mike’s dick swells and twitches and how it starts to spurt while Mike pants his release against Harvey’s sensitive skin. Mike’s orgasm seems to go on forever and when his movements have almost ceased, when he’s become almost slack and motionless but his hips jerk just one more time as if from their own accord and Mike moans weakly in Harvey’s arms, Harvey follows him into a blinding climax. He comes in his pants and through the two layers of cloth he can feel how his and Mike’s come mix, a sticky, warm layer of moisture between them, causing every subtle movement, every slight friction to add to the onslaught of sensations already washing over them.

As Mike’s short, ragged pants turn into quiet moans, Harvey tries to catch his breath as well. Mike is warm and heavy on top of him and his scent covers Harvey like a blanket. He holds on to that blanket for as long as he can but then he lets Mike roll off of him, closing his eyes for a moment and wiping his face. Mike is looking at him with wide, tired eyes and Harvey cracks a small smile.

“Hey,” he whispers and Mike closes his eyes. Harvey isn’t hundred percent sure but he thinks that he can see a faint smile playing around the corners of Mike’s mouth. He scrambles to his knees and helps Mike out of his pants and then he gets out of bed and takes his own off as well. Mike has almost fallen asleep when Harvey returns from the bathroom with a warm, wet washcloth to clean Mike up. For a moment, Harvey considers getting them fresh pairs of boxers but then he decides against it and slips under the covers, pulling Mike close.

Again, when he wakes up the following morning, Mike is gone.

*****

“Morning...”

Harvey is almost out of the door when Mike emerges from his room, clad in nothing more but a pair of boxer briefs. His hair is incredibly ruffled and he’s wiping his eyes.

“Hey,” Harvey says and puts his briefcase down again, taking a step towards Mike but then he pauses.

“Hey yourself,” Mike replies and walks up to Harvey, stepping right into his arms. He feels warm and sleepy and when Harvey buries his nose in Mike’s hair, Mike’s arms wrap around him as well.

“You smell fresh,” Mike murmurs against Harvey’s shoulder and Harvey grins.

“And you smell sleepy,” he murmurs into Mike’s hair. He then cups Mike’s face with both hands and places a gentle kiss on Mike’s lips.

Mike closes his eyes and smiles, smacking his lips. “Hmmm,” he makes and Harvey simply has to kiss him again.

The kiss is slow and lazy and at one point of time it almost entirely stops.

“You taste sleepy, too,” Harvey smiles and Mike nods.

“I’m sorry about last night,” Mike murmurs, the smile fading from his face. “I didn’t mean to—“

“Mike,” Harvey interrupts gently, pecking Mike’s lips again. “There is nothing to be sorry for.“ He kisses Mike again, his smile deepening. 

“Okay,” Mike hesitatingly nods but then the smile returns to his face. “No get yourself to work,” he adds. “I’m making dinner tonight.”

“Is that a threat,” Harvey asks, raising his eyebrows in mock offence.

“Yeah, you bet,” Mike grins and ushers Harvey to turn around and leave. “You should live in fear.”

“Shaking in my boots, rookie. Shaking in my boots…”

*****

When Harvey comes home that night he learns three things: A) Mike makes a killer tomato sauce; B) he is able to turn a kitchen into a place of utter chaos and destruction in the process – and C) that that look of pride and sheepish embarrassment on Mike’s face is something makes it impossible for Harvey to stop himself from pulling Mike into his arms on the spot and ravish his mouth in a hungry claim of a kiss.

They break apart achingly hard and out of breath but as much as Harvey wants to drop to his knees and suck Mike off right there and then or to have Mike on his knees in front of him, fucking his mouth, he doesn’t really care which way around, as much as he wants that, Mike insists on having dinner now and since Mike swears that the sauce will be so, so good, Harvey complies.

The sauce is even better. Mike’s beaming smile when Harvey tells him so lights up the whole condo and warms Harvey to the core.

“I’ve got a job,” Mike says, scooping up another fork of pasta. “Antonio hired me. I start next Monday.”

“That’s great news, Mike,” Harvey answers and raises his glass to toast Mike. “I am happy for you.”

“Thank you,” Mike toasts Harvey back. “And thank you for not asking why.”

“Asking why _what_?”

“Why I wanted a job like that and not… not one like before.”

“You have your reasons,” Harvey nods reassuringly, taking another sip from his wine. “You do that for as long as you need to.”

“Thanks, Harvey,” Mike says, sitting back. “That means a lot.”

“Sure thing, rookie,” Harvey grins and wipes his mouth with his napkin. “That was delicious.”

“Yeah, right?” Mike looks so proud that Harvey simply has to shake his head.

“Yeah.”

“I have to see my parole officer again on Wednesday,” Mike says after a short pause, a slight frown appearing on his forehead. “And I have an appointment with that therapist on Friday. I’m getting back on track.”

“I know you are, Mike,” Harvey says and reaches for Mike’s hand. “You’re doing great.” He gives Mike’s hand a short, firm squeeze and nods. 

“There will be setbacks, Harvey,” Mike frowns and tries to withdraw his hand, but Harvey is having none of that. “I won’t… It won’t be that easy and you will have to… you’ll have to put up with a lot, probably, and I… I don’t know. You might get more than you bargained for. And we never... we kinda never talked about what this is, what this is supposed to be. This. Us.”

„You worry too much, Mike,” Harvey says, lacing their fingers together. “We’re good.”

“You’re sure?” Mike’s voice sounds far too small for Harvey’s liking.

“Yeah,” he says and smiles. “I am.”

“But why, Harvey?” Mike tilts his head and searches Harvey’s eyes. “How can you be so sure?”

“You know how,” Harvey says calmly and holds Mike’s gaze. “And you know why.”

Harvey watches the rapid succession of emotions flare up in Mike’s eyes. Doubt, fear, insecurity, disbelief, pain, relief, heaviness, a helpless plea, acceptance and finally, at the end, happiness and love. An expression of love and utter trust that sets Harvey’s heart on fire with longing and need. His legs feel weak and he feels light-headed for a moment. Something in his chest expands and then a calm settles over him like he has never felt before.

“Yeah,” Mike murmurs and nods. “I know.”

They sit like that for some moments, holding hands in silence and then Harvey lets go and rises from his chair. He quickly carries the empty plates into the kitchen and sets them down in the sink. Then he walks back to the table, back to where Mike is still sitting, and wraps his arms around him from behind.

“Come to bed with me,” he kisses against Mike’s temple. “Mike. Let’s go to bed together tonight.”

“Yeah,” Mike smiles and bows his head to kiss Harvey’s forearm. He then pries Harvey’s arms off of him and rises. “Lets.” He grabs hold of Harvey’s hand and doesn’t let go until they are in the bedroom, at the foot of Harvey’s bed.

They undress each other slowly, peeling away each layer of clothing with care and admiration to Harvey’s bed, caressing every part of their bodies they lay bare with their hands and mouths, and when they are fully naked, Harvey takes a step back to look at Mike.

Mike is painfully hard and when his cock twitches under Harvey’s gaze Harvey can’t help but wrap his fingers around his own aching erection. 

“God, Mike,” he moans and strokes himself once, firmly. 

“You are so beautiful,” Mike whispers and lets his eyes wander up and down Harvey’s naked body. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Then don’t say anything,” Harvey murmurs and closes the distance between them again, taking Mike in his arms. They both moan when their bodies touch and their cocks rub against each other. “Show me.” Claiming Mike’s mouth in a messy, open-mouthed kiss, he lets his hands wander down Mike’s back until they reach the slopes of Mike’s ass. He cups Mike’s ass cheeks and starts to massage them gently. “Hmmmm,” he hums into Mike’s mouth. “You feel good…”

“Yeah…” Mike’s voice is hoarse and husky when he finally breaks the kiss and replies. His fingers are digging into the muscles below Harvey’s shoulder blades and he is already very much out of breath. “God,” he murmurs, breaking the kiss. He brushes his lips along Harvey’s shoulder, nibbling at his skin carefully. “I hope you know what you’re doing ‘cause I sure as hell don’t have a clue.”

Harvey stills. He reaches for Mike’s shoulders and holds him like that, trying to catch his eyes.

“Mike,” he says, his voice warm and calm. “Are you sure?”

Mike holds his gaze and a smile spreads on his face that grows broader by the second. “Oh, hell yes,” he says and claims Harvey’s mouth for a short but demanding kiss. “Never been so sure about anything in my life. I trust you. I want to be with you. Please…”

The “please” is Harvey’s undoing. He nods and pulls Mike close again, touching him everywhere he can reach, savoring the feeling of Mike’s smooth skin under his hands. “God, you feel good,” he murmurs, biting his way along Mike’s throat. “So good…”

“Yeah,” Mike echoes and his hips thrust forward, causing Harvey to bite down a little harder than he had intended. “Fuck, yeah…”

“Come,” Harvey breaks the embrace and maneuvers Mike down onto the bed. “Spread your legs. Bend your knees, yeah, just like that.” He guides Mike into a position against the headboard in which he is comfortable and from where he can see and watch what Harvey is doing. “Let me know if you need me to stop. Or to go slower. Okay?”

“Okay,” Mike nods and a shiver runs through him when Harvey reaches between his legs and runs his finger along his cleft lightly. He takes his time preparing Mike, playing with his ass and slowly and carefully loosening his muscles and opening him up. He’s so turned on by Mike’s trust and responsiveness that he has to stop several times and grab hold of himself, squeezing the base of is cock or teasing himself lightly, fucking his hand slowly, his fingers slick with lube and precome. He’s so turned on that he’s leaking by now and Mike stares at him in wonder. 

Mike is hard as well and Harvey strokes his cock again and again, while he is fingering him, stretching him, or he bows down and takes Mike into his mouth which earns him a surprised yelp the first time and aroused, wanton moans after that. By the time Harvey has three fingers inside of Mike’s oh so tight heat, Mike is a babbling, needy mess and Harvey himself is shaking with need.

He rolls a condom onto his dick and leans forward to cup Mike’s jaw. His sticky fingers leave glittering traces on Mike’s pale skin and Harvey thinks that that might be the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.

“This would be easier if you were on your hands and knees,” he says, but he knows how it is going to be before Mike even answers. “Would hurt less.”

“No.” Mike shakes his head and slides down along the head board until he is flat on his back. “Like this. I trust you.”

“I know,” Harvey nods and kisses Mike slowly, tenderly. “But this is going to hurt at least a bit and there is nothing I can do about it.”

“I trust you,” Mike repeats and reaches for Harvey’s face. He runs his thumb over Harvey’s lips and arches his back. “Please,” he says again and his hands travel down Harvey’s sides to his hips. “I want you to.”

With trembling fingers Harvey reaches for the lube again and slicks himself up one more time. He brings his fingers between Mike’s legs and positions himself, nudging at Mike’s entrance with the tip of his cock. “Relax,” he murmurs and places a calming hand on Mike’s lower belly while he slowly and oh so carefully breaches Mike’s body.

They’re both holding their breaths as Harvey slowly enters Mike and when he pauses after an inch or so, Mike releases a shuddering breath and clenches around Harvey, causing Harvey to moan. “God,” he pants, resting one hand on Mike’s chest and still holding himself with the other. “You’re so fucking _tight_ …”

He eases forward the tiniest bit and immediately stops when Mike hisses. “I’m sorry,” he whispers and reaches up to wipe a single tear from Mike’s temple. “Tell me if you need me to stop.”

“No,” Mike says and a small smile appears on his face. “I’m good. I want this. Go on.”

Harvey nods and pushes forward a little more and a little more and then Mike grabs hold of his hand and holds on to it with an iron grip until Harvey is fully buried inside of him. 

Harvey stops. He lets Mike cling to his hand and the tightness around his cock is almost too much to bear. Mike is so hot around him and he can feel every beat of Mike’s heart pulsing around him and for a moment he thinks this might be over before it has even really started.

And then Mike opens his eyes. 

The look Harvey finds in them makes him gasp.

“You’re… We’re…” Mike stares at him in utter amazement and squeezes his hand so hard it almost hurts. “Oh my god…”

“Mike.”

It is all Harvey knows to say, all he wants to say and so he says it again.

“Mike.”

“You can move now,” Mike says and tightens around Harvey teasingly. “I want you to move…”

Harvey pulls out a little and pushes back in, drawing a sound from Mike’s lips that he can’t quite place. Pleasure or pain, maybe both. He searches for Mike’s eyes and Mike nods.

“Feels good. Go on. I trust you.”

Harvey repeats the movement and then he does it again and again until he’s moving inside of Mike with a dizzying ease. Mike opens up and yields to him in a way Harvey would never have thought possible. He’s firm and at the same time pliant under Harvey’s hands and warm and tight around him. Whenever they kiss, and they kiss almost all the time, the scent and taste of Mike overwhelm Harvey anew. 

Mike is clawing at the sheets and whenever he lets go with one hand and grabs hold of himself he isn’t able to do it longer than a few seconds before his hand fists into the fabric again. 

“I’m so close,” he whispers when Harvey stills inside of him, throbbing and swelling in Mike’s tight channel, letting his heartbeat wash over Mike like waves of caresses. “God, I’m so close…”

Harvey swallows and then nods. He leans down to kiss Mike one more time and then he sneaks his hand between their bodies and starts to jerk Mike off in sync with his thrusts.

“Are you,” Mike’s voice hitches and his back arches towards Harvey, “are you close, too?”

“Yeah,” Harvey moans and thrusts a little harder. “God, yeah…”

He speeds up his movements until he thinks he can’t take it anymore and then he slows down. He fills Mike again and again, his hips rolling in an agonizingly slow rhythm, pushing them both closer and closer to the edge. 

Mike is moaning continuously and every time Harvey is fully inside, his hips jerk and his cock twitches in Harvey’s hand. Harvey pumps Mike one more time and, again, Mike goes rigid underneath him.

Harvey’s eyes dart from his hand to Mike’s face and they lock eyes for a second before Mike throws his head back and starts to come. He shoots white, hot strands of semen over Harvey’s finger and onto his stomach and chest, moaning and thrashing his head, his fingers in his hair now, fisting into his locks as he continues to empty himself between their bodies.

His muscles clench around Harvey and it takes him only two or three more shallow thrusts as Mike’s orgasm slowly ebbs to reach his peak as well and fall. The climax that claims him is so intense that for a moment all he can hear is a roaring pulse and the stars that dance before his eyes render him blind. All he can think and feel is Mike.

Mike.

He’s dripping with sweat and panting hard when he comes to his senses again, still pulsing inside of Mike and Mike’s hand is cupping his face, a gentle stroke of Mike’s thumb and Mike’s voice in his ears.

“I love you.”

Harvey’s stomach drops, it feels like falling and falling, and his hips jerk once more, drawing a last spurt of come from his already almost spent cock. He collapses onto Mike, still buried deep inside of him and Mike’s arms wrap around him, holding him close.

Mike’s caressing hands slowly coax his mind to return back into his body. His breathing slowly evens out and both he and Mike moan when his dick slips from Mike’s body.

Harvey knows that he probably should roll off of Mike, that he is too heavy, but he can’t. He buries his face against Mike’s sticky skin and inhales and kisses and licks it again and again. Mike’s scent and taste are intoxicating and Harvey just can’t stop indulging.

Mike’s amused chuckles turn into moans when Harvey’s ministrations grow less sloppy and playful and more demanding and claiming. And when Harvey sucks a dark purple love bite into Mike’s skin where his neck meets his shoulder, when he keeps sucking and sucking and just doesn’t let go, Mike comes again. Mike’s hands hold Harvey’s head in place as he spills himself once more, his come slick between their bodies, covering their skin with more sticky warmth.

When Mike is finished coming, Harvey finally rolls off of him and to his side. He lets his fingers trace Mike’s shoulder, they run around and over the love bite he just left there and then down Mike’s chest and stomach. They trace lazy patterns in the sticky mess on Mike’s skin and, watching them, Harvey licks his lips.

“I…” Harvey clears his throat, surprised at how raw his voice sounds, and looks up, looks at Mike. “You have no idea how long I dreamt of this, how long I wanted this. I wanted to fuck you since the day we first met.”

Mike turns his head and locks eyes with Harvey. There is an amused glitter in them that makes Harvey smile.

“I never expected something like this,” he says after a long pause. “Not even remotely. This is… This is something else.”

“Yeah,” Mike whispers. He catches Harvey’s hand in his and brings it to his lips. Kissing Harvey’s knuckles, he smiles.

“It is.”

*****

The next morning Mike kisses him awake.

 

~fin~

**Author's Note:**

> I'm [sal-si-puedes](http://sal-si-puedes.tumblr.com/) on tumblr. Come and say "Hi!"


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